Amish Tripathi launches his new book, The Chola Tigers: The Revenge of Somnath in Chennai

“I never thought I would live a life like this,” says author Amish Tripathi, who was recently in Chennai for the launch of The Chola Tigers: The Avengers of Somnath, the second in his Indic Chronicle series. In a career spanning 15 years and 12 books, Amish has become one of India’s most popular authors. His books, the Shiva Trilogy and the Ram Chandra series have not only topped  best-selling lists, but have also sparked important conversations around Indian culture and heritage.

Between his reading sessions and interactions, we sat down with Amish to discuss what inspired him to write  his latest book.

Amish pointed out how over the years,  Indian history textbooks, have largely focussed on North India with an emphasis on the Islamic invasions,  through several  chapters. “You know, the way our history is taught, it often feels like everything in the last 1,300 years happened only between the Khyber Pass and Agra. This  is obviously not a fair representation of that period. Delhi is important, but other regions are important too,” he says.

“ Traditional history books sadly do not say enough about the Cholas. You do not get a sense of their grand achievements. It is not just about their conquests, their wars, or their administrative skills, but also about how they ran their empires, their trading guilds and much more. Writing about them not only balances the non-Delhi regions, but also shows that the story of the last 1,300 years was not just the story of us being invaded. It was also the stories of our ancestors fighting those invaders,” he  added.

Little-known facts

While the book explores the grandeur of the mighty Cholas—who avenge the destruction of the Somnath temple with their fearless warriors, it is the female characters who truly stand out. Their bravery and sacrifice play a crucial role in shaping the warriors’ journey and the larger narrative. “This is something that is unfortunately not taught to us. The Cholas had a women regiment in their army, and even the Rigveda has hymns written by women Rishikas. This was a part of our stories, traditions and our way of life,” he added.

He added, “You will notice that a society that has a  lot of violence tends to become more patriarchal. In India too, the regions which suffered more invasion and  violence like the Northwest, North, and other parts of the West are  more patriarchal today. In contrast, the South, which faced fewer invasions because they kept fighting and resisting , remain relatively less patriarchal. It is a pattern you can see. I want to speak of these traditional ways of looking at women, because our culture always valued them.”

The Chola Tigers: Avengers of Somnath, by HarperCollins Indiais avilable online and in stores priced ₹499